South Africa v England 1927-28

Played at CAPE TOWN, December 31, January 2, 3, 4. England won by 87 runs. Strengthening their bowling by the inclusion of Bissett, South Africa gave a much improved display in the Second Test match and when, after a keen struggle, England triumphed by 87 runs only half an hour remained for play. Sent in to bat, on Deane winning the toss, England, with an innings completed on each side, found themselves 117 in arrear, but a splendid first-wicket partnership of 140 between Holmes and Sutcliffe not only wiped off the deficit but paved the way for a magnificent recovery, The finish, however, would have been closer and South Africa might even have saved the game had one of several chances offered on the third day by Wyatt been accepted. Wyatt profiting by his good fortune, went on to score 91, hitting so briskly in the later stages of his innings that he obtained 58 out of 68 put on for the last two wickets, and thereby made South Africa's task in the last innings extremely difficult. England suffered a great misfortune in the disablement of Geary, who developing the elbow trouble which prevented his participation in the three remaining Tests, was unable to bowl on the last day. Against the English attack thus weakened, South Africa, set to get 312 runs in four hours and thirty-five minutes, appeared to possess a reasonable chance of success when Taylor and Commaille, in an opening partnership, scored 115 runs in a hundred minutes.

With the breaking up of that stand, however, the game turned in favour of England. The second wicket fell at 126 and, Astill and Freeman bowling with much success, the last eight batsmen added no more than 98 runs. In their first innings the visitors, apart from Hammond, failed badly before the clever bowling of Bissett and Vintcent. Thanks to a masterly innings by Taylor, who for two hours showed his best form, South Africa left off on the first day only 5 runs behind, while on Monday Deane batted admirably and Nupen hit fearlessly. When danger threatened England, Holmes played an uphill game with the utmost confidence and, scoring freely off bowlers handicapped by a wet ball, quite overshdowed Sutcliffe during a stay of a hundred minutes. The latter, somewhat restrained in his batting, occupied the wickets for nearly three hours and, in company with Tyldesley, still further improved the position with a stand of 93.